What kind of doctor for babies?

I'm having triplets, so they'll be preemies.  I'm wondering if I should take them to a pediatrician when they're born, or if our regular family practice doctor will be okay with them.  I'm leaning toward pediatrician, but we don't have one in the town we're in, so I'll have to drive (not that big of a deal). How do you go about choosing one?  Does the hospital help when they're born, or are you supposed to have it set up before they're even born?  Thanks for your help!  People have starting asking me who their doctor will be and I have no clue!

[girliegrl1723]

i would seek a pediatrician. do you have a regular doctor that you use for yourself? maybe they can suggest a couple for you to look into. also, you could call your insurance company and ask if they can give you a list of some names. you should have the pediatrician picked before you give birth as the hospital typically calls the pediatrician to come in after the birth and if you choose to have a circumsition, the pediatrician does that too i think. i knew who my pediatrician would be when i had my son, because it was the same practice my mother took me to, but a lot of people even interview pediatricians before their little ones are born. you can go in and talk to them before you choose, you don't just have to open the phone book, close your eyes and point. then, once you pick one, you tell them you've picked them and give their name to the hospital when you fill out the paperwork. good luck with the triplets! what an amazing miracle :o)

[luv_babies]

My Gyno is in a large medical group that includes pediatricians, so I asked for her reccomendation. Turns out I love my son's dr! But if you have to drive to another town, I am assuming you don't have that luxury. You can ask the hospital for recommendations too. At the hospital I delivered my son, they have "personal care coordinators" and she called me at about 30 weeks to ask if I needed help finding a pediatrician.
I'm sure your dr can give you a recommendation even if they aren't any in a large medical group. Calling your insurance co is also a great idea. Good luck!

[peekawho]

Your babies will have neonatologists assigned by the hospital caring for them until they leave NICU.  They can also make some wonderful recommendations there.

I also would go with a pedi, b/c they will probably have some special requirements and concerns for a while, and a ped would be more familiar and comfortable with those.